The glory of the cross brings salvation by Jesus Christ tasting death for all mankind. The sermon explains that sin's wages are death, encompassing physical, spiritual, and eternal separation from God. Jesus, though sinless, bore the penalty for humanity's sins, experiencing physical death, spiritual separation as evidenced by his cry on the cross, and the full weight of eternal judgment. This sacrifice, completed and declared 'It is finished,' provides the complete payment for salvation, offering everlasting life to all who believe.
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Beloved friends, once again we greet you in the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you for tuning into the broadcast. We continue to emphasize in the present series of Bible studies the glory of the cross and the aspect of blessings which the work of the cross brings to mankind in regard to the great doctrine of salvation. To recapitulate our preceding study, we learned of the great dangers and perils we face because of our sins. From Romans chapter six and verse twenty-three, the stern decree of God and righteous decree was that the wages of sin is death.
That is the inevitable penalty and reward for our sins. Yet also from the word of God we found that it teaches us Death is not cessation in its meaning of Scripture, but rather separation, and that death is viewed in Scripture in three aspects. There is physical death, of which we are very familiar. There is spiritual death, and there is an eternal death, or separation, taught in the Word of God. That is the separation of the spirit and the soul from the body and the end of our earthly lives.
Spiritual? That can be and is a present separation from God if unsaved. We are dead in trespasses and in sins, spiritually, morally separated in heart and in soul from our God because of our continued sins. But then we noted that there was an eternal aspect to death, that separation which will be forever and ever, when God in final judgment banishes all that are without salvation, and they are cast into that eternal place of sin's penalty, called in the word of God the lake of fire.
But before going any further, permit me to state, This is the teaching of God's Word, and to properly emphasize, the greatest peril is the eternal one. My beloved friend, if you are unsaved, will you reflect and consider your situation? It will either be heaven or in eternity, or it will be hell. Consider the need of salvation now, and seek the Lord while he may be found. But today we would listen to the precious words we find written by the Apostle when he wrote to the Hebrews, and in chapter two of the Hebrew Epistle, verse nine, we have these priceless words that tell us the way of salvation.
But we see Jesus now crowned with glory and honor, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death. that he, by the grace of God, should taste death for every man. Will you note very carefully and clearly, Christ, Jesus, the Son of God, though he is now crowned in heaven with glory, when he came to the earth, he stooped lower than the angels. He took upon him the form of our humanity, for the definite intention and purpose of suffering death, while in that earthly body.
But do note particularly what we read at the end of this verse in Hebrews chapter two and verse nine, that he, by the grace of God, should taste death for every man. Remember, my friends, the wages of sin is death. Now let us realize the Lord Jesus Christ came from heaven to the earth, to bear in that body of flesh which he took, our wages, and to pay the penalty for our sins and by his death? Yes, even the death of the cross. Now may we raise the question, did he pay the full penalty?
Did he experience death in its meaning, physical death, spiritual death, and even the eternal aspect? These are solemn but serious questions. Let the Word of God answer. First, there can be no question of doubt. He tasted physical death. We are but to read each gospel narrative regarding the crucifixion and the death of our Savior. We have the witness of Pilate. We have the witness of the Roman centurion in charge of the crucifixion. We have the witness of the disciples who were present. And we have the record of Scripture that proves he died.
And furthermore, when the Word of God declares that he rose again from the dead, he could never be resurrected from the dead unless he had died. Surely and truthfully, his body was dead. Now pause for a moment, my friend. He himself was not worthy of this death. When did he ever earn such wages? Never, my friend. But take the words of Hebrews two and nine. He tasted it for you and for me. This penalty to save you and to save me, he bore.
Now consider the aspect of spiritual death. Meaning, as we have stated, it is the separation of the soul and the heart from God. Now we ask, did our Savior have any sins to separate him from a holy God? His Blessed Father above? There's only one answer, none whatsoever. He knew no sin. He did no sin. In him was no sin. So it has been written by the apostles, Paul, Peter, and John. Then for whose sins did he taste this separation?
If it were not for his own, then, my friend, it must have been for you and for me, for your sins and for my sins. But how do we know that he experienced this separation, which is spiritual in its character? Listen, my friend. You that have read the account of the crucifixion, do you not remember that the last three hours of his crucifixion The sun hid its light. The earth was shrouded in darkness. But in the midst and out of the midst of that darkness, the crucified Savior was heard to cry in tones of anguish and lamentation.
Eli, Eli, Lama Sabatinae, meaning, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? This cry of anguish came from the heart of God's blessed and holy Son, who in the eternal past and who in the days of his earthly life had never known heart separation, moral and spiritual separation from his God and his Father above. But how extensive was this separation upon the cross? Read your text again, as we called it in Hebrews chapter two and verse nine. He tasted death for every man, all the spiritual separation from God that the human race has known, that it now may know, and that it will ever know the blessed Savior in the hours of his crucifixion in the darkness of Calvary.
He tasted it to the full. Can we measure it? It is beyond our human comprehension. But can we wonder at the agony of the Christ of God when he was in the garden, praying before his crucifixion, and crying from the depths of a troubled heart, Have a father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me, and then adding, nevertheless, not my will but thine be done. My beloved, there's only one reason that he so prayed in that garden. He knew that he was going to taste from what his holy soul was shrinking, the awful character of your sins, in all their depth, in all their height, in all their length, and in all their breadth of meaning, and to taste that which he had never known before, separation from his beloved God.
My beloved friend, that bitter cup, which he tasted for you and drank for you and for me. He did it for everyone. What a savior. But now, let's go to the eternal consequence of sin. No, he did not literally go to hell. We must never believe that. But his payment upon the cross for your penalty and my penalty completely covered what you and I have deserved to be separated from God forever. He did not go to hell to pay that penalty, but he tasted it upon the cross.
All the eternal wages of sin were placed upon him when he was upon the cross. Listen to God's word from Isaiah chapter fifty-three. Tis often called the crucifixion chapter of the Old Testament. And in verse six we read, All we like sheep have gone astray. We've turned every one to his own way. and Jehovah hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. My beloved friend, God alone was able to gather all the sins of the world and bring them to that focal place, Calvary's cross, and lay them upon his beloved Son in judgment.
And this he did. Well, as John the Baptist said, Behold the Lamb of God which beareth or taketh away the sin of the world. Yes, all the work, all the ransom that was paid, was paid by the Son of God for you and for me and for everyone. And he tasted death, name all its meanings, if you will. But he tasted death for every man. What for? Again listen very carefully. That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John three sixteen. Please remember the Savior's last words upon that cross, as the Apostle John has written then.
When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said it is finished, and he bowed his head, and he gave up the ghost. There was nothing more to be done. There was no more to be paid. The price to save you, and to save me, he paid in full. And listen, my friend, unsaved. Nothing either great or small, nothing thinner, no. Jesus did it, did it all long, long ago. It is finished. Yes, indeed, finished every job. Sinner, this is all you need. Tell me, is it not? Oh, my beloved, take home to your soul and to your heart these facts. God said it.
Jesus did it. I believe it. And that settles it. I'm saved, my friend of you. Father, save some precious souls and bless the truth to all in Jesus' name for his glory. Amen.